Hinduism

Pilgrims flocked to the Hindu temple in Morrisville this weekend to celebrate the installation of three new deities there.

Trilok Pillai of the Hindu Society of North Carolina says about 1,000 people came to honor Lord Jagannath, who is considered by some Hindus to be a form of the protector god Vishnu. Jagannath was installed with his brother and sister deities, Balahadra and Subhadra.

Pillai says the temple was already well attended, but he expects the new installations will draw more faithful.

Emotions are an important part of religious life for many people. Individuals often describe a feeling or sense of passion during a religious practice even if they cannot name the feeling.

The academic study of religion and emotion is surging, but scholars are still struggling to find ways to measure and describe this phenomenon. Is emotion biological? Is it cultural? What can the study of emotion in religion tell us about religious intolerance or violence?

Duke University has named its first Hindu chaplain. Usha Rajagopalan's peripatetic young life in India exposed her to diverse forms of Hinduism, and for the past decade she's been educating Triangle residents about her faith through workshops, discussions – and puppets.